Critical illness myopathy and polyneuropathy

Introduction

Dr. Dimachkie of the University of Kansas Medical Center describes the neuromuscular complications of critical illness. In this update, he discusses a recent Cochrane review that confirms the beneficial effects of intensive insulin therapy in reducing the incidence of critical illness myopathy and neuropathy.

Key Points

After intensive neurorehabilitation, most critical illness neuropathy or myopathy patients recover within 1 to 2 years.

The presence of additional central nervous system lesions is associated with poor prognosis for recovery.